The Entrepreneur's Source Blog

The Entrepreneur’s Source on How to Take Control of Your Life and Win Back Your Freedom by Making Stress Work for YOU!

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before; a guy spends his entire life working his butt off at a company that doesn’t even begin to appreciate him, all so he can help provide his family with a great life. He works long hours and weekends, missing family dinners and sometimes, even vacations. Before you know it, he’s dropped dead of a heart attack with an inbox full of unread emails and unfinished projects stacking up like logs. Unfortunately, it’s a story we have heard one too many times and have named it the Battered Career Syndrome.

Stress Test

When the American Psychological Association released their annual report on stress in America back in November, a whopping 61-percent of those polled cited WORK as their most common source of stress.

Bad stress is real! It’s a survival mechanism that is literally hardwired into our bodies. It kept the human race alive! But in today’s work world, those piles of emails and

deadlines are what our bodies perceive as threats. It causes stress hormones to rush into your bloodstream – increasing your heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels. You digestive system and immune system are suppressed too, leaving you at increased risks for other diseases. So, of course, one bad day at work won’t be the end all, but what about a bad month? A bad year? Where do you draw the line?

The Good News

Let me tell you about the power of good stress. Good stress is what gives you the motivation to change your circumstances. Good stress is what kicks your butt out of your comfort zone and into a career transition that could put all those emails and deadlines from an unappreciative employer behind you. When you embrace Your Career 2.0, stress takes on a different meaning.

Angela Grippo, Ph.D. wrote for “Psychology Today” :“Stress keeps us accountable for our actions. It motivates us and inspires us to be better citizens.”

Let it inspire you to make your first step toward Your Career 2.0. And here’s even better news: you can make those first steps in a stress free environment. Stretch out on the couch, heck, grab a beer if you want. It’ll take you two minutes to explore and compare best-fit career transition opportunities that will match your goals with The Entrepreneur’s Source®’s exclusive FranchiseMatch® tool. It’s a simple five-step process that will help you find the ideal franchise that will meet your personal goals, needs, and expectations. Working for yourself can help you turn work stress around and help you get your life back.

Younger workers take note! You don’t have to be at the grind for 30 years to become disengaged. Before stress burns you out you could consider your own path from employment to empowerment. The Entrepreneur’s Source® is your first step.

Tax time is never easy no matter what position you’re in. If you’re an employee waiting around for your W-2, or if you’re the boss that’s handing them out, tax time will have its own set of stresses for you. Good thing some national franchise leaders, like Firehouse Subs, Schlotzsky’s and Sonic, are stepping up with some sweet Tax Day deals to help ease the pain for all!

Regardless of your tax knowledge, if you’re browsing through the pages here at The Entrepreneur’s Source®, then you’re probably already at least considering career transition. This may be your first time considering what it’s like to face the IRS as the head honcho. It can be a frightening thought knowing you’re responsible for determining which of the seemingly hundreds of different IRS forms you need to use and fill out.

So, where do you begin?

Have a solid support team in place. If you work with an Alternative Career Coach during your exploration, then you know what your business strengths and weaknesses are. That’s why having a solid support team is vital. If you’re a great salesman but a lousy accountant, then by all means, invest in a trustworthy CPA to handle it for you! There are a lot of lessons to learn your first year as a business owner. You don’t want one of those lessons to be “How to survive an IRS audit!”

Invest in solid accounting software. If your franchise system doesn’t already offer some type of accounting software, it’s a good idea to invest in one for yourself. Sure, it can be a pain to set up, but it sure beats that last minute scramble for receipts and data. If you are using a CPA, he or she will surely thank you!

Prepare throughout the year. You’ve made the transition into business ownership and now you’re charting unknown territory. You may already be out of your comfort zone, so why add the pressure of trying to file taxes for your business all alone? It’s a good idea to meet with your CPA regularly throughout the year and make sure you’re on the right course BEFORE tax time hits.

Change your mindset. You’re the boss now. This is Your Career 2.0. Part of that is realizing tax season isn’t ALL bad! Change your mindset to reflect your new role as business owner. Here’s the cool thing, the Trump administration recently passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – helping business owners secure more than 2.5 times the amount of tax cuts as employees. Use those additional funds to re-invest in your company – rewarding great employees, buying new equipment, adding new features, etc.

Education never ends. Now that you’ve got your new mindset in place, it’s time to make sure you’re educated. Part of being the boss is THINKING like the boss. That means being on the lookout for tax saving opportunities. Don’t know what to look for? Talk it over with your tax preparer, your franchise support service, or even other franchisees. Membership in a small business owners group in your community can be valuable in this department as well.

We all deal with change differently, but that’s where your career coach comes in handy. Your E-Source Coach will work to make sure you’re equipped to handle the career transition of your choice.

You’re starting a new business to fuel your own future, but you’re not all alone. Contacting a coach with The Entrepreneur’s Source® can help turn your dream into a reality…and help you avoid tax time nightmares by working with you to find your franchise match (get started now at www.franchisematch.com).

The Entrepreneur’s Source can help you go from Employment to Empowerment®.

Does this sound familiar: Wake up. Fight traffic. Work late. Drive home. Sleep. Repeat. For millions of people, this is a familiar routine. Now for some of those people, that routine works. But for many of them, there is a growing desire to break free.

According to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace 2017 poll, 53 percent of employees say a role that allows them to have greater work-life balance and better personal well-being is very important to them. To us here at The Entrepreneur’s Source® (TES), that figure seems a little low. After all, how many people have you ever heard say, “Gee, I wish I had been able to work MORE?”

How many times will you miss your daughter’s volleyball games because they happen on a weeknight and you just can’t make it from work? How often is your son the only scout without a parent at a weekend Family Camp because of your work pressures? How many times will you have to fight through the parental guilt and say, “I’m sorry,” and “I can’t”?

Finding that elusive work-life balance.

The fact is it’s hard to find a true work-life balance when you must do everything according to someone else’s schedule. It can be difficult to say yes to coaching your son’s little league team or being a part of your daughter’s karate carpool when your boss frequently walks in and asks you to stay late. Want to find a job with a flexible schedule? You might as well start searching for that proverbial needle in the haystack. Isn’t it worth looking into another way to work?

For over 34 years The Entrepreneur’s Source® (TES), the nation’s leading career transition coaching franchise, has helped provide tens of thousands of people with the answers and the opportunities they need to improve their lives. Our process and coaches have helped people just like you leave behind the daily grind and take those crucial first steps toward FREEDOM. Your dreams don’t include sitting in an office, working your life away, while your family grows so used to your absences that they’re actually SURPRISED to see you show up for something!

Everyone is getting fed-up.

And it’s not just the baby boomer generation that’s gotten sick of the sacrifice. Here are some more key findings from that Gallup poll we talked about earlier. Millennials – that key demographic that now makes up more of the workforce than baby boomers and Generation X-er’s at many companies – are less likely to be “completely satisfied” than other workers in the following aspects of their job:

Vacation time

On-the-job-stress

Flexibility of hours

Chances for promotion

Relations with coworkers

And you want to talk about disengagement! That Gallup poll found that only 29 percent of millennials are engaged at work. In fact, only half of the millennials polled “strongly agreed” that they would be working at their current company in one year’s time.

So, why this seismic shift? After all, many of those same polls will tell you these workers might not even be married yet or have any kids. Could it be that they are the first generation that saw their parents trade in their freedom for stability and thought, “That is NOT how I want to live my life!”

At The Entrepreneur’s Source® (TES), we call it “Battered Career Syndrome”. It’s the idea that you must keep the job you have at all cost, constantly sacrificing your family and your time. Baby boomers and Generation X workers are starting to feel it…but it seems like Millennials are catching on quicker because they were those very kids with the parents who always had to say, “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

Making a Change for the Better.

Breaking the cycle requires a lot of honesty, thought, and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. Taking those first steps from employment to empowerment are not always easy, but they also aren’t as difficult as you might think. Most importantly, they can begin right from the comfort of your own home and they won’t cost you a single dime! Here’s how The Entrepreneur’s Source® (TES) can help you on your journey of self-discovery:

FranchiseMatch.com® – Imagine the beginning of a new life in just two minutes. That’s all it takes with our exclusive FranchiseMatch® tool. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it’s free. It’s a five-step process that can help you discover options you never thought possible. FranchiseMatch.com® is a great place to begin your journey.

START A BUSINESS WEEKEND® – This is the largest online franchising business expo in North America. You’ll be able to explore and compare over 170 franchising opportunities, learn from the business pros with our keynote speakers, and even discover funding options that can help take your dream of self-employment from “someday” to “right now”! Heck, you can do all of this from home in your pajamas if you want. You’re in control of that! Just go to http://www.startabusinessweekend.com to sign up for your FREE, all-access pass. The next expo is coming up May 17-19, so sign up now.

VIRTUAL COACHING EXPERIENCE – What do Bill Gates, Phil Mickelson, and Oprah Winfrey all have in common with you? They’ve all used coaches in their professional careers. Asking for help, seeking guidance, and trusting a mentor are smart business decisions. The Entrepreneur’s Source® (TES)provides experienced coaches that won’t tell you what to do, but instead guide you along the way to discovering the best path for yourself.

If you’re ready for your Career 2.0, visit our website and look around. There are a lot of professional resources available to you there. It’s the first step to breaking the cycle of the daily grind. We’re not saying it’s not going to include hard work.

Originally Published in Forbes, 3/5/18 The Entrepreneur’s Source: Terry Powell’s 8 Tips To Find The Perfect Career Coach

I’ve been reflecting on Alabama’s win over Georgia in the college football national championship game, and I’m still marveling at how they did it. They were missing several injured stars and had fallen into a deep hole on the scoreboard. Further, Tua Tagovailoa, their freshman quarterback with no experience in any meaningful games during the season, was suddenly thrust onto the biggest stage. All Tagovailoa did was become the biggest star of that game, coolly throwing the winning touchdown in overtime and adding his name to college football lore.

But the fascination for me was to see head coach Nick Saban’s famed “Process,” his coaching philosophy, in action. Saban turns attention away from the end goal — like winning a national championship — by focusing on the little things. He preaches that doing those little things correctly, every day, will build confidence and lead to success.

Saban and his team invest in their players: teaching, supporting and encouraging them while keeping them focused on the moment. Because of Saban’s “Process,” the moment for Tagovailoa was never too big, even though he was a rookie. That’s why Saban was comfortable bringing him into the game.

In the new year, you may be looking for a great coach or mentor to help you either enhance your current career, further explore your entrepreneurial itch or direct you to something completely new. And, as someone who may be exploring entrepreneurship for the first time, it’s critical to find a coach who can help you focus on your possibilities and help you to explore your goals, needs and expectations in a safe space.

What qualities must this coach possess? After more than 30 years of helping people achieve their professional goals at The Entrepreneur’s Source, I have defined eight specific tips to help you choose the best coach:

Your coach will have a direct interest in you. They will want to take the time to find out what your career 2.0 is so you can achieve your income, lifestyle, wealth and equity goals. That’s basic relationship and trust building. After all, it’s only your future you’re talking about. Don’t you want someone invested in your “why”?

Your coach will uncover areas of strength, as well as opportunities for growth. If you truly want to stretch yourself, your career and your attitude, you must have someone who will work with you to explore every aspect of your professional life: work history, philosophy, skillsets and even professional relationships — and be candid about it. Having someone just tell you how wonderful you are is not coaching. Challenging your current thought processes and offering new ones is.

Your coach will be experienced. Nothing teaches like experience, which teaches life-long lessons — some good, some awful. Be wary of those who talk a great game but have never been in the trenches where you are. A coach who has been where you have been, asking the same questions and looking for help along their career path is invaluable. They have the gravitas you need to help you conduct deep dives into the opportunities around you.

Your coach will believe in you — maybe more than you do yourself. Coaches and mentors can see real potential in the people they lead, even though it may not be readily evident to those following. They will work to uncover your hidden talents or gifts being ignored in your current situation to maximize your confidence levels, positioning you for success.

Your coach will provide clarity.There will be many voices during your transition clamoring for attention and claiming to be the best possible change for you. In these times, you will need to make sure you’re considering every option and not just being attracted for the wrong reasons. It helps to have someone provide the clear education, awareness and discovery you need to help you decide for yourself.

Your coach will offer unbiased feedback. Far too often, people in coaching roles have ulterior motives and hidden agendas, trying to sway you into making a quick decision benefitting them, not you. Avoid them. A good coach provides you with every scrap of unbiased information, allowing you time to make a smart decision about yourpath.

Your coach will not be afraid to give you a kick in the tail. Your search for career fulfillment won’t be quick or easy. Discouragement and doubt will creep in and rent space in your head. Your coach will not abandon you at times like these. In fact, they will become even more involved by encouraging you and challenging you to keep moving forward. They will have the tools and resources you need to provide candid dialogue, to refresh your search and to renew your march to the goal.

Your coach will remain with you. You should not be just another number or transaction for your coach. They will want to remain in the picture for you after you have made your final alternative career choice just to help you with the details that always come with a significant transition. They will want to remain available to you to provide meaningful help, answers and contacts in support of you and your new opportunity.

While legendary sports coaches like Saban get all the buzz, there are so many other coaches out there who help others embrace possibilities and change their lives. Find your coach today, and make 2018 the year you become “you” version 2.0.

About The Entrepreneur’s Source®. Established in 1984, The Entrepreneur’s Source has been North America’s leading alternative career coaching franchise dedicated to the entrepreneur for more than 34 years. The Entrepreneur’s Source offers in-depth advice to individuals striving to become self-sufficient with the release of our new book, Your Career 2.0: A Survival Guide for The Battered Career and Investor Syndrome. The book is a thoughtful examination of how you can make your dreams of self-sufficiency a reality. Authored by Founder of The Entrepreneur’s Source Terry Powell and E-Source alternative career coaches, the book is a must-read for any individual who has ever considered taking the path less traveled and embarking on the journey to small business ownership.

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Testimonials

Creating a self-employment opportunities is not easy, and it is quite scary, especially for some of us who have enjoyed cushioned jobs, good pay and great benefits. After I lost my job during company layoffs, I had attended business startup and franchise presentations led by a coach from The Entrepreneur Source. He provided a wealth of information and resources, but more important, real data and examples from his own experience as a franchise owner. (more…)

Goran Markinovic

“After twenty+ years working in corporate Human Resource roles across multiple geographies I woke one morning feeling that I was no longer revved up to continue in the same rat race that I had chased for the last twenty something years. I had to find something more rewarding, more challenging, more engaging and more provocative than the day to day grind. I wanted to own my business but I didn’t know where to start. (more…)

Jonathan Jenswold

I first met my coach when I was in transition after a long corporate career and considering the start of my own business. Throughout the process of considering a franchise he was always encouraging, thoughtful, thorough and patient. He does keep the process moving forward, has a good sense of urgency, and even keeps things light with a great sense of humor.

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For over 30 years The Entrepreneur’s Source has provided thousands of people with the answers and the opportunities they needed to improve their lives. Our discovery and education-based method of franchise and business coaching allows our clients to discover....Read More